Please don’t come…

No. You didn’t misread the title. Neither is it a typo. It is not meant to discourage you or any other prospective Teacher Trainee. It is just to encourage you to think through your intention, motivation, decision, and any other -ions you have. That’s why please don’t come if you…

• Just want to try your luck and have no idea what you are applying for.

“Luck works for those who work hard to live their dreams”

• Love your comfort zone

“You may be stuck in a friend zone, but never be in a comfort zone” #eaaa :p

• Don’t want to pay the price

“For anything worth having, one has to pay the price.”

Simple, isn’t it?

Yup. Applying MEXT Teacher Training Program is also as “simple” as selling your words and trying your luck. Anyone meeting the requirements can apply and might get the opportunity. Although there are screening tests and interview to be done,  at the end, maybe only God knows why this person is chosen instead of that person.

Is that the problem? No.

The problem is that if you are just ‘lucky’ but not a ‘right’ person.

• That luck leads you to a scholarship in Japan yet you don’t know what to do there. If you say: ‘Of course to study!’, well, actually that answer is not satisfying enough. You can always study in your country too, right? 🙂 *di Indo juga bisa belajar koq!*  For me, becoming just a “kupu-kupu” students *KUliah PUlang doang -just live between campus and dorm* seems like a waste. Especially if you go back dorm literally only to procrastinate all the time *tough we do need it sometimes ^^;.

What to do? Go out. Get lost. Make friends. Try new things. Travel. Explore new places. Join various activities and clubs. Enjoy life. This experience might not come twice, so you’d better live your life there to the fullest.

Don’t come if you can’t leave your comfort zone and don’t want to challenge yourself to seize the day and take risks!

There’s time to “play hard and work harder”, but sometimes you also need to “work hard and play harder” :p

• That luck allows you to represent teachers and your country. You come under teacher training program. You are teacher in training program. Please do represent a ‘teacher’ properly.

My sensei always said this to my batch when giving homework, and especially when someone forgets to do that: “みんなさん先生でしょう。You are all teachers, right?“. Well, for me that short sentence implies a high expectation.

Tired, exhausted, worn out are things that you might face during your study (especially if you are in Tsukuba or your Sensei is rather kibishi >_<). Homesick too. But they are not excuses for you to slack off all the time. Keep forgetting homework, skipping classes, neglecting compulsory TT programs might seem not a big deal. But they are enough for people to judge you (and your country). Remember, there are hundreds teachers who could do better but just not lucky enough.

So, don’t come if you just take this scholarship for granted. It might be someone else’s dream that you luckily grab.

• That luck gives you enough money for your allowance. Enough enough to cover dorm expenses and daily needs, to travel, even to be saved for saving.

It’s ok to have no idea about living in Japan. But I believe that you must be aware that Japan is one of the most expensive country. So, please, don’t complain about the price here. Dorm rent, electric bills, textbooks, (winter) clothes, groceries to transportation fees to the school you visit and for mini-research you conduct are some cost to be paid. But hey, you get stipend. Won’t grumbling to pay them with (not) your own money just make you seem ungrateful?

How about comparing the prices to our currency? Well, once, twice, thrice is acceptable. But overdoing it won’t do any good. Can you enjoy eating ramen if you keep the price lingering in your mind? Also, bragging that your currency is much cheaper won’t solve anything either.

Finally,  don’t come if you don’t want to pay any price. If Japan is expensive, just stay there at home, back in your ‘cheap’ country. Experience is expensive. You need to be willing to sacrifice something, not only money, maybe time, energy, or effort. But believe me, they are all worth it.

But then if you happen to come, let’s make a good impression and memory here 🙂

Come responsibly.

-dV